Superior Specificity in Cardiac CT

Calcified lesions can cause blooming artifacts that hinder a reliable assessment of the vessel lumen. Motion artifacts caused by non-optimal scan protocols and inferior imaging techniques may lead to an overestimation of the degree of stenosis. Thus, false positive findings may be introduced that can cause unnecessary further testing or treatment.

Siemens has continuously introduced a powerful set of product innovations designed to reduce false positives and boost specificity in cardiac imaging. As the two most important aspects in cardiac imaging are motion-free and sharp visualization of the coronaries, the solutions are designed to maximize both temporal and spatial resolution.

Recently, CT perfusion (CTP) has emerged as a promising method of gaining insight into the hemodynamic relevance of a stenosis. It has been shown that combining cCTA with CTP increases the specificity in detecting significant stenoses. To keep CTP as accurate as possible, Siemens has developed features to improve specificity in this aspect of cardiac imaging, as well.

Read in our White Paper how the SOMATOM® Scanners and syngo.via help reduce false positive findings in cardiac CT. Learn how to:

Get specific in diagnosing coronary artery disease

High temporal resolution to minimize motion artifactsMotion-free visualization of the coronaries is essential for accurate diagnosis. If unaccounted for, motion artifacts affecting the coronaries may lead to overestimation of the degree of stenosis.

Our solutions:

High gantry rotation speeds for high temporal resolution without retrospective software corrections

Dual Source CT – Flash speed for imaging of all patients and all heart rates

Temporal resolution improvement with iTRIM

High spatial resolution for clear vessel depiction – High spatial resolution is necessary to fully grasp the anatomical detail of the coronary arteries. Insufficient spatial resolution and partial-volume effects may cause blooming artifacts.

Our solutions:

Dedicated edge-enhancing kernels for coronary imaging

Minimized blooming and enhanced vessel delineation with the Stellar Detector

Image sharpening for a thorough evaluation of calcified lesions and stents

Get specific in determining the hemodynamic relevance of a stenosis

Siemens has introduced a powerful set of features to minimize false positive findings and boost specificity in CT perfusion imaging. These innovations have made it a reliable alternative to standard approaches, such as SPECT, PET, or MRI.

Get specific with your personal needs

Siemens understands institutions’ varying clinical and financial requirements and offers a wide range of suitable CT scanners. Unique to each scanner is a powerful combination of features to minimize false positive findings.